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Statewide organized retail theft crackdown ends in 117 arrests
SACRAMENTO – A statewide crackdown on organized retail theft resulted in 117 arrests and the recovery of $38,000 in stolen merchandise last week, according to officials.
Two illegal guns and three stolen vehicles were also seized as part of Operation Holiday Watch, which was carried out Friday by the California Highway Patrol and police ...Read more
Washington chatbot may help FAFSA completion
An AI-powered chatbot could help move the needle on Washington's stubbornly low FAFSA completion rate.
According to a recent report from the Washington Student Achievement Council, students who subscribe to OtterBot, a text-based chatbot developed by the organization, were more likely to fill out college financial aid forms than peers who didn'...Read more
Migrant accused of torching woman on subway was 'average guy': roommate
The roommate of Sebastian Zapeta, the Guatemalan migrant who police say horrifically killed a woman by setting her on fire as she slept on an F train in Brooklyn, and then watched as she burned to death, said Tuesday that Zapeta seemed like a “regular guy” who gave no indication that he could turn violent.
Raymont Robinson, 54, who slept ...Read more
Boy struck by drone at Orlando's Lake Eola Park remains in intensive care, mother says
A 7-year-old boy critically injured Saturday by a falling drone during a holiday show at Lake Eola Park remains in intensive care, his mother said Monday in a post on a GoFundMe page.
“Zander is out of surgery and still fighting!” Jessica Lumedge wrote. “I will be missing work at this time, and he will be celebrating Christmas in the ICU....Read more
16-year-old with hands up shot to death by cops during 'no-knock' raid in AL, suit says
An Alabama teenager was asleep in his childhood bedroom moments before a police S.W.A.T. team “rammed down” the front door of his family’s home and fatally shot him, according to a new federal lawsuit.
Randall Adjessom was left bleeding out in the hallway for more than four minutes during what was an unauthorized, “no-knock” raid by ...Read more
Two Greek shipping companies fined $3.4 million for dumping bilge into NJ waters
Two Greek shipping companies will pay $3.4 million in fines after admitting their vessel’s crew dumped oily bilge water into the narrow shipping channel between New Jersey and Staten Island, then falsified records to hide it.
In addition to the fine, the U.S. Department of Justice ordered Avin International Ltd. and Kriti Ruby Special ...Read more
Senate confirms two Californians as federal judges, adding to record numbers of Blacks, women, Latinos
The U.S. Senate confirmed Judges Benjamin Cheeks and Serena Murillo to fill U.S. District Court vacancies in California in what was expected to be its final judicial votes this year.
The confirmations help establish new records for Black, Latino, women and other minority judges.
Cheeks is the 63rd Black judge named by President Joe Biden, ...Read more
News briefs
Massachusetts police officer saves Christmas after finding 80 Amazon packages in woods
BOSTON — A local Massachusetts police officer “likely saved a Christmas headache” after he discovered roughly 80 Amazon packages left behind in the woods, days before the holiday.
Early Sunday morning, Lakeville Police Sgt. Shawn Robert stumbled upon �...Read more
Snowy owl rescued from vehicle grille in Duluth, Minn.
A snowy owl was rescued Monday evening by a woman who was surprised to find it trapped in the grille of a car in a Duluth, Minnesota, parking lot.
Annabell Whelan, a good Samaritan who had also rescued another owl earlier in the day, said she was near the Bentleyville “Tour of Lights” display at Bayfront Festival Park when she found the ...Read more
Migrant drunkenly fanned flames after torching homeless woman on Brooklyn subway, district attorney says
NEW YORK — The migrant accused of torching a homeless woman on a Brooklyn subway made his first court appearance Tuesday to face murder charges — and prosecutors revealed he used his shirt to fan the flames after he ignited her clothes with a lighter.
Sebastian Zapeta, a 33-year-old Guatemalan migrant living in a Brooklyn men’s shelter, ...Read more
“This is wonderful”: Holiday vending machines encourage mall shoppers to give to charity
Kimberly Williams took her three daughters to the mall for some last-minute Christmas shopping this week and ended up buying a week’s worth of showers and emergency food for a person living on the street, pots and pans for a once-homeless person moving into their own place, and a blanket and binky for a newborn baby.
The unplanned purchases ...Read more
Judge sides with Missouri journalists, lawyers in fight against sweeping court redactions
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Missouri judge last week torpedoed parts of a state law that have required sweeping redactions to court records, preventing the public from accessing routine information.
Moniteau County Associate Circuit Judge Aaron Martin ruled provisions requiring redaction of witness and victim information from court records ...Read more
US lawmakers drop call for review of South Africa relations
U.S. lawmakers dropped a potential review of South Africa’s ties with Washington on the basis that they pose national-security risks.
President Joe Biden on Monday signed a version of a key annual defense-policy bill that didn’t contain an earlier amendment passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in June that sought the review.
Two ...Read more
O.C. judge tied to health-care fraud scheme with convicted doctor, records show
By day, Israel Claustro was an Orange County prosecutor who took down violent gang members, sex abusers and corrupt bureaucrats.
In 2022, Claustro glided to electoral victory, winning an open judicial post.
For years, he also operated a medical billing and health-care management firm on the side. Now, he is facing accusations that his ...Read more
Eye drops sold at Publix, Amazon recalled for fungal contamination. What you should know
Many of us need eye drops for our weary orbs. Hours spent reading and writing holiday cards, peering at ingredient lists while baking, and catching up on new and old Christmas movies on TV all take their toll.
Now one of the products that offers relief for dry eyes is on a recall list.
Alcon Laboratories has voluntarily recalled one lot of ...Read more
What to know about infectious diseases during this holiday season
It’s that time of year, when families and friends come together to share their holiday cheer and a few circulating pathogens.
Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco, said people should be on the lookout for the “Big Four”: three respiratory viruses currently moving through the U.S. — influenza, COVID-19 ...Read more
Are Americans hopeful -- or discouraged -- heading into new year? What a new poll found
Americans are more optimistic about 2025 than they were about 2024 — in large part because of President-elect Donald Trump, according to new polling.
In a December CBS News/YouGov poll, 57% of respondents said that, when looking ahead to 2025, they feel more hopeful than discouraged. Meanwhile, 23% said they feel more discouraged, and 20% ...Read more
Colorado stops water testing at state lab amid investigation into manipulated data
DENVER — The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has suspended a second chemist and stopped water testing at the state laboratory amid a state investigation into manipulated data.
State public health officials on Dec. 20 identified that a second chemist had manipulated quality control data, contributing to the lapses in ...Read more
Russian army cargo ship sinks in Mediterranean after explosion
The biggest cargo ship belonging to the Russian military’s logistics fleet sank in the Mediterranean Sea after an explosion in its engine room.
The Ursa Major was lost in international waters following the blast, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday in a website statement. Two crew members were missing and 14 others were rescued and ...Read more
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez wins temporary restraining order against school board after ouster
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s handpicked school board was blocked from modifying Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez’s duties by a Cook County Judge on Tuesday, giving the embattled schools chief a victory as he battles with City Hall over the district’s future.
Judge Joel Chupack granted Martinez a temporary restraining order against CPS...Read more
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